Rhymes from the North Country
New and Collected Poems
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Hawk-Owl The frozen bog lies silent, white and black; A few fine flakes of snow sift slowly down On stunted spruce and wind-torn tamarack As gray light fades and night comes early on. Atop the tallest of the broken trees, The northern hawk-owl watches where below, Beneath the briars and the brush, he sees A telltale sudden scurry in the snow. He launches in a breeze as soft as breath; His wings caress the currents of the air; He comes, a floating specter of gray death; He tears and eats the flesh, the bones and hair, Then back up to his chosen tree he flies To stare upon the swamp with golden eyes.
Formats
Book Details
Recognition Programs
About the Book
Hawk-Owl The frozen bog lies silent, white, and black; A few fine flakes of snow sift slowly down On stunted spruce and wind-torn tamarack As gray light fades and night comes early on … —Burt Porter Through vivid imagery and an eloquent voice, Vermont’s ardent naturalist and traditional poet, Burt Porter, brings nature to life in a collection of poems that rhythmically explore the North Country, its beauty, and inhabitants. Porter’s thoughtful poems reflect on a variety of themes and subjects that include the four seasons, love, rainbows, milkweed, and the twinned seeds of a maple tree. As he leads others down a lyrical path, Porter shines a light on the spectacular beauty of Vermont and a simplistic life that can only be found in a countryside where cattle doze in darkened barns, a bank of fog hangs in the sun-warmed air, and love lives in quiet ways. “In all of the best senses, Burt Porter is America’s best, and perhaps last, bard. I love every poem in the collection.”—Howard Frank Mosher, award-winning author
About the Author
Burt Porter holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts from Wesleyan University. He is a well-known local fiddler and ballad singer who has lived in the same old farmhouse in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom for the last fifty years. His companions are Lindsay Knowlton, also an accomplished poet, and his two sons and their families.